In August and September 2017, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria have all impacted the United States and U.S. Territories. This page contains a collection of resources and guidance to assist housing counselors with disaster response and recovery efforts specific to each hurricane.
All HUD participating housing counseling agencies impacted by these events are encouraged to review the Housing Counseling Disaster Recovery and Emergency Preparedness Toolkit located on the HUD Exchange. It contains disaster recovery and emergency preparedness resources specifically for housing counseling programs. The toolkit provides immediate access to Disaster Recovery Flyers, the Housing Counseling Disaster Program Guide and other HUD, FEMA, and other helpful resources.
Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00AM to 10:00PM (local time) seven days a week until further notice.
Reminder: Housing Counseling Handbook 7610.1, Chapter 5-11, B. 3-d, requires when any aspect an agency’s purpose is impaired and can no longer comply with programmatic requirements, regulations or grant agreement (e.g., not functioning due to a disaster or emergency) the agency must notify HUD (their point of contact) within 15 days. Please send your questions to housing.counseling@hud.gov. Please type “DART” on the subject line.